Meet CASA and Guardian ad Litem Volunteers

"We find time to watch television, we find time to talk on the phone, we find time to get onto Facebook. We can find some time in our day to devote to these children, who need us so desperately...." Read more from Jessica

Ronald Buie, Youth Service Bureau of St. Tammany, LA

“When you work these cases, what you will see most of the time is a family history of involvement in the state system, a history of drugs, of domestic violence, of lack of education...What I try to do is to intervene, kid by kid, family by family, and try to stop that revolving door, so that the next generation has a better shot.” Read more about Ronald

Jo Gramling Lopez, Spartanburg County GAL Program, SC

Jo Lopez had worked as an attorney on Wall Street for 32 years when the World Trade Center was attacked in September 2001. After seeing the plane hit the first tower and watching both buildings collapse, Jo was compelled to refocus and pursue a different path in her life.Read more about Jo

Dee Horn, Fulton County CASA, GA

In the Fulton County foster care system, everybody knows “CASA volunteer Dee.” Since learning about the program from a colleague, Dee has been a constant presence both at the courthouse and in the lives of the children he represents. Read more about Dee

Monica Gray, CASA of Westchester County, NY

"The responsibilities of being a CASA volunteer are twofold, both equally important. There is the child, and there is the case." Read more from Monica Gray

Rosa Hernandez, CASA of Central Texas

As a CASA volunteer in rural Lockhart, TX, it is not unusual for Rosa to regularly drive 300 miles to visit a family or talk with a teen. What keeps Rosa on the road is her desire to ensure children are in safe situations where they can make positive choices. Read more about Rosa

Ron and Barbara Evans, 4th Judicial District CASA, ID

When I was working as a US marshal, I had this theory that nothing good ever happened at the courthouse. People are getting divorced, going to jail, probating a will, suing each other. But now I go to the courthouse and I see great things happening for families.... Read more from Ron and Barbara

Joe Sternberg, CASA of McHenry County, IL

Joe Sternberg was not the first person to ask 15-year-old Matt questions about his life and family. But it did not take Matt long to realize that Joe was different from the others. He was someone who genuinely cared, didn’t judge him and planned to stick around for the long haul. Read more about Joe and Matt

Clare McCarroll, CASA of Atlantic & Cape May Counties Inc., NJ

"My name is Clare McCarroll. I am married with two kids and a dog. I live in a two-story home and work part-time at Macy's. I am of average intelligence and definitely fall into the middle-class bracket in our society. The one thing that sets me apart from the rest of average Americans is that I am a volunteer."Read more from Clare

Kathy Bach, Winnebago County CASA Program, Rockford, IL

"I believe that families need to be together—children need their family of origin if at all possible. I have never believed that someone gets up in the morning and says: “I’m going to beat my kids. I think that each and every family, in its dysfunction, loves their children. I truly believe that." Read more from Kathy Bach

The US Department of Justice has supported CASA advocacy since 1985 through its Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

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